Support for parents

The University of St Andrews encourages parents to be involved with the St Andrews community and to support their child while they study at the University. Below you can find advice and guidance on essential academic issues including accommodation, finance and confidentiality.

Academic advice

Students at the University can get academic advice from a number of sources, and many of these are also available to parents. Parents wishing to guide their child to the most appropriate place for academic assistance may be interested in the following:

Academic advice provides information for common academic issues and problems including absence reporting, extensions for coursework and changing modules or degree.

Student experience provides information about the unique St Andrews experience including events, traditions and the role of the Students' Association.

CAPOD provides a comprehensive range of opportunities to support personal, professional and academic development for all staff and students.

The University must comply with regulations surrounding data protection, and therefore will be unable to communicate with parents or other external parties about the academic progress of any student. Please refer to the confidentiality code for more information on this matter.

Accommodation

The University of St Andrews guarantees an offer of accommodation to all UK, EU and overseas first year undergraduate students, provided certain conditions are met. Read the full conditions of the accommodation guarantee.

The University offers a variety of accommodation to suit all tastes and budgets. Accommodation types included catered or self-catered and standard or en suite.

Due to limited space within University halls of residence, students are unable to specify a particular hall on their application form. Rather, students must list, in order of preference, the top four types of residences that they would like to be considered for. We cannot guarantee that your child will get their first preference and could be allocated to any one of the four preferences listed. Great care is taken to ensure that students who receive their exam results later in the year have an equal chance of receiving their first preference as those allocated at the start of the summer.

How to apply

Once your child has accepted their offer of a place to study at the University, they can apply for accommodation. For your child to be guaranteed accommodation they need to apply by the 30 June in the year of their entry, regardless of whether their offer is conditional or unconditional.

Student Accommodation Services will email your child with details on how to reply to the offer and how to proceed. Once accommodation has been allocated, your child will receive a link by email directing them to their e-contract. This will need a response within ten days, after which the offer expires. Accommodation contracts are for a fixed period of the full academic session unless students are only studying here for one semester.

Allocation begins after the 30 June for students whose offer of a place is unconditional and who have confirmed their acceptance with Admissions. Thereafter, allocations continue throughout the summer as and when final examination results are received and the status of individual UCAS applications changes from conditional to unconditional.

Once your child has accepted an offer for University accommodation you will both need to work out a payment method with the University. If you are concerned about being able to afford the accommodation fees, please contact the money adviser at studentservices@st-andrews.ac.uk.

A limited amount of accommodation is available to returning undergraduate students; however, we cannot guarantee a place within University accommodation after your child's first year. Students who wish to return to University accommodation are able to apply to do so in February of the year of entry. As an offer is not guaranteed, students are also encouraged to familiarise themselves with the process of renting privately in St Andrews.

Private accommodation

If your child rents privately, it is likely you will be asked to be their guarantor, which means you will be responsible for paying the rent to the landlord should your child become unable to pay the rent. Therefore it is worthwhile for you to read the terms and conditions of the lease before your child signs it.

As of 2 July 2012, all deposits must be paid into the Tenancy Deposit Scheme within 30 days of handing it over. This allows for a fairer, more transparent system of getting the deposit back.

Ensure that your child thoroughly checks their inventory and the condition of anything that is included in the property. Any inconsistencies should be marked clearly on the inventory which is handed back to the estate agent or landlord. Ahead of moving in, all damage or imperfections to any fixtures or furnishes should be photographed, printed off, signed and dated on the back by a non-tenant. Should your child wish, these can be emailed to srcaccommodation@st-andrews.ac.uk, who will store these safely.

Admissions

The Admissions team is responsible for coordinating all undergraduate and postgraduate (taught and research) recruitment activities, including study abroad and international applications to the University.

The Admissions team will be happy to help you with any questions, issues or concerns you may have. Find out how to contact the Admissions team.

Confidentiality code

The University of St Andrews, in accordance with the Data Protection Act of 1998, is subject to strict laws that forbid the release of information about students to any external party.

As stated in the University confidentiality code, “personal information will not be given out externally without the student's permission. This restriction includes passing information to parents, legal guardians and next of kin.”

This means that we will be unable to share the following information concerning your student with you.

We are unable to disclose any information relating to a student's academic progress. This includes their module choices, degree intentions, marks, coursework submission and attendance.

We cannot confirm whether or not a student has approached Student Services.

We are not able to discuss whether a student is enrolled in the University.

We are not able to give out any details of the student's private life.

We will only be able to discuss information about students with third parties to protect the vital interests on the student.

Sometimes parents of students ask if they can gain access to information about their child if the student signs a ‘waiver’ giving them access to a third party. This is not something which we are able to do.

Family Programme

Development runs a very popular Family Programme for the parents and guardians of current undergraduate students. This enables our families to be part of the St Andrews community, keeps them up to date with developments at the University and provides ways they can contribute to and share in its achievements.

Finance

It is University policy not to send out invoices to students for payment of tuition and accommodation as all the fee information is published on our webpages. Tuition fees are published on course pages and accommodation fees can be found on the accommodation fee page.

Prior to the start of the academic year, payment should be made in full or an instalment plan should be set up from one of the options offered. If your child is unable to pay by one of the instalment options offered then they should contact studentfinance@st-andrews.ac.uk.

Graduation

Graduation takes place in St Andrews twice a year: in June and in December. All graduation ceremonies are held in the Younger Hall, on North Street. A guide to graduation is available to view including how to apply, what to expect, what to wear and graduating in absentia.

Health services

The University of St Andrews does not have an in-house medical facility, but the local community hospital houses two general primary care practices. The University strongly encourages students to register with a local practice on arrival. Students with pre-existing health conditions are advised to contact their practice of choice before getting to St Andrews.

For students living in University residences, it is important to understand that residence staff are not medically qualified. However, all wardennial staff and some other residence staff are trained in basic first aid (including mental health first aid) and will liaise with emergency health services as appropriate.

If your child is an international student, then their healthcare arrangements are dependent on their visa status and any reciprocal health arrangements which the UK has in place with their country of residence. All new undergraduates under the age of 26 are strongly advised to get the MenAWCY vaccine before arriving in St Andrews.

Orientation

Orientation is when students who are new to St Andrews are inducted into the University and begin to settle in. This takes place twice a year: in January and in September. Orientation will allow your child to matriculate, meet their adviser of studies and give them the opportunity to meet new friends, join societies and sports clubs and get to know St Andrews.

Semester dates

St Andrews has two semesters each year: Martinmas semester from September through to December and Candlemas semester from February to May.

See full details of the St Andrews calendar and semester dates.

Visiting St Andrews

Should you wish to visit your child in St Andrews, the town is well connected to public transport links and to a number of international airports within Scotland including Edinburgh and Glasgow. St Andrews and the surrounding area is also home to a variety of hotels, from the luxury of a five-star suite to a boutique bed and breakfast. Over the summer months, visitors to St Andrews also have the option of staying in the University accommodation.